A freak odyssey
by sinful starlet
Summary: Chapter 5 finally up - sorry for the delay! Last flashback scene! - MA as ever!
1. one

I know I'm supposed to be working on 'Max and Alec and another locked room' but I was getting stuck with that one, so I thought I'd start posting this cos I've had it on the back burner for quite a while…

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: is it even worth writing these things anymore? Probably not, but you all know nothing DA related belongs to me right? Would it be cancelled if that wasn't true?!

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Rating: PG-13 **/ **R. I have issues with ratings - basically I go more on a general atmosphere than anything else, and I think this isn't too kid-friendly!

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Summary: Set somewhere during a now hypothetical third season. After the situation at Jam Pony, as the siege at TC continues, Max has just started to get her life back in order, when an old enemy resurfaces to wreak havoc on her life again. And guess what? It's another M/A - completely unapologetically, self-indulgently M/A! I don't care what the writers on the show thought, they are still my favourite couple!

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Author's note: Okay this is going to be long! This is in no way my attempt to create a new story arc for season three (non-existent but anyway!!). All this is, is a story that basically starts a couple months after Freak Nation, but is staying with a lot of the stuff from season 2. In fact scratch that - there's LOADS of stuff from season 2, just with a slightly different perspective on most of it, with some added stuff thrown in. There's going to be one main story going on with lots of flashbacks basically - god I'm confusing myself here! 

ADVANCED WARNING! I am about to go off on a serious rant about 'Freak Nation' so if you're not interested just go straight ahead and read the first chapter of the story instead. I know loads of people have already done this, but I wanted to add my two cents to the whole 'Freak Nation' debate. First of all, I have to say, that I didn't think the episode completely sucked at all. Generally the plot was okay, and the action sequences were pretty cool, but there was just one tiny problem…CONTINUITY! I know all the writers seem to have been sticking to the whole M/L thing, but the way they were in this episode was completely out of sync with everything that happened post-'Hello Goodbye'.

For a start, Max spent most of the time completely ignoring Alec, which was not in character after the last few weeks, but then the whole thing with her and Logan and the runes on her back - WHAT WAS THAT?!!! She had just told Logan that she was seeing Alec, but she runs over to her supposed-_ex_'s house and gets semi-naked with him instead when she finds the runes on her back?! All respect to the writers of the show - but that just made no sense whatsoever. And don't even get me started on the 'biohazard girlfriend' line! In short - that scene really ticked me off (as did the holding hands thing at the end) - did the writers even watch 'Hello Goodbye'?!! So if that scene bugged you like it did me - rest assured, it is completely fixed in this story, in a gratuitously M/A way!

Oh, and if you actually bothered to read all of that - thank you! Just needed to vent! 

Please feel free to go ahead and read chapter one now! *SS*

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A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

Almost ready to start now, just a quick word on structure…

Was gonna try and integrate all the flashbacks, but I figured it made more sense this way, so basically, there are seven flashback scenes, and then the main plot of the story will begin Essentially, these flashbacks are reworking of key moments from season two (or my version of key moments) that help to set up the characters and back-story for this story…

Hope ya followed all that - if you've got any questions, leave them in a review and I'll do my best to answer them.

Finally - presenting flashback #1 - "Gill Girl"…

Max never had been that great at taking a hint. She hadn't exactly looked pleased to see him as well as he turned up at her apartment, asking him to come with her. She did though, not wanting to admit that he had sparked her curiosity, she got ready and went with him, promising Cindy to return soon.

He'd explained as little as possible on the way over, just telling her that there was another transgenic that needed their help, and she saw why he hadn't been too forthcoming as they arrived at the club. "You dragged me out to take me to a strip club?" she asked incredulously, already turning round to leave when she heard one of the bouncers announcing their star attraction - a real, live mermaid. She turned back then, walking back over to Alec.

"They've been passing those flyers out all over town," he explained, hiding his smile at her exasperated expression, "I wouldn't be surprised if old White's already onto her". Max nodded, "Well we gotta get her out of there then," she started to walk towards the club door, but Alec caught her arm and pulled her back, knowing if she wasn't pissed at him already, she very soon would be. "Hold on, hold on," he said, "there's just one little problem".

He carried on quickly as Max glared at him, "There's no ladies allowed inside - not unless they're working". "What?!", Max snapped, not believing what he was getting her into. "It's okay", he said, trying to sound reassuring, "there's a line around back. Girls show up and the management picks out the good ones!" Max just stood there for a second, really hoping he was kidding, "You are joking right?" He rolled his eyes, this was going to be harder than he thought.

"Oh come on Max!", he said, "Don't sell yourself short. I mean, you've got a decent shot!" If looks could kill he would have been in serious trouble right then. "Forget it!" she said, shaking her head. "All right fine!" Alec said, but not giving up yet, "Be a prude - we'll just leave her in there for White to find". Max stopped, turning back round to face him, hearing the bouncer again and knowing that she couldn't just leave that girl in there, whatever her personal feelings were. 

Seriously not wanting to give Alec the satisfaction of being right, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back round a corner, out of sight of the club entrance. "Uh Max?" Alec asked, a little worried, "What are you doing?" "Shut up!" she said, still pissed at him, taking off her jacket and shoving it in his arms. He just stood there, eyes widening a little in surprise as she removed her sweater as well, leaving only a fairly skimpy tank top underneath that was doing far more to reveal than conceal.

She shoved the sweater at him as well as she shook her hair out over her shoulders. "Just see if you can find somewhere to stash this stuff," she said, meaning her clothes, "and give me five minutes. If I'm not out by then, then come in after me". "Yes ma'am!" Alec joked, a little unwisely, meaning he was almost caught by Max while he was checking out her figure. Max cursed under her breath as she stalked round to the club's back entrance. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

'Of all the low-down, stupid, degrading things', she thought, but she quickly replaced her frown with what she took to be a seductive smile as she approached the door. Another guy was in the process of sending away a few other 'hopefuls' but then his eyes practically fell out of his head as he saw Max approaching. She sashayed over to him, hips moving rhythmically. He gave her an approving look and waved her inside instantly, despite the wails of protest from the other girls.

Once inside she had found the girl quickly. Let's face it - a mermaid was not going to be a difficult thing to find in a strip club. She communicated to her that they were there to help and then went off to look for Alec so they could get some kind of a plan together. She groaned in disgust as she saw him sitting on a couch, getting a dance from a girl in what remained of a nurse's outfit. Alec eventually saw her looking, and quickly paid the girl off, sending her away before Max could get there.

"This is how you rescue a mermaid?!" she hissed as she reached him, but he didn't reply, just grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. "No this is trying to look inconspicuous for the nice agent that White's got stationed here!" Max glanced around her, trying not to look too obvious, but she saw who he meant. "No drinks, no girls," Alec went on, "he's been casing the place the entire time". Unfortunately, the guy in question, turned round then, catching their eye line for a second so they quickly looked away.

"Okay whenever you're ready!" Alec said, "But right now would probably be a good time to look like we belong here, huh?" He was lucky he got the sentence out actually, because he was fairly sure he wouldn't be able to speak straight after. Max turned round to face him and started to run one hand down his face, caressing his cheek while her other hand worked up and down his chest. By the look of it, she had absolutely no idea what affect she was having on him, and it was just as well, he thought, she'd have kicked his ass if she thought he was enjoying this.

He eventually managed to formulate a few words, but unluckily, the only ones that came to mind were, "Wow, Max. You, uh, you done this before?" _'Nice going!' _he thought as she told him to shut up again. "Why isn't he making his move?" Max asked, casting glances back at the guy whenever she could. "Too many people around," Alec said quickly, "he's probably just waiting till closing". "And that'd be when?" Max questioned. Alec shifted slightly to look at his watch which was on the arm that Max only just realised had been resting against her back.

"About two and a half hours," he said. Max swore under her breath, she was not gonna do this for another two and a half hours, they'd have to think of something else before then. "Look," Alec said, guessing what she was so worried about, "we're not getting her out of here alive with him around anyway so you might want to come up with another plan". Max sighed, but she caught sight of a few bouncer-like types moving through the club, so she turned her attention back to Alec quickly, resting both hands on his chest now as she rubbed up against him. He was really going to pay later for making her do this, she thought.

She started talking again, discussing options, but she didn't seem to be holding his attention. She reached one hand up then and grabbed his face, making him look at her. "Can we concentrate on coming up with a plan?" she said, after figuring out that he had actually been checking out the mermaid the whole time. "I'm thinking," he insisted. "No, you're talking," Max replied, continuing to stroke his face. "I can do both," Alec replied, actually trying to concentrate on anything but the reaction she was causing.

"I doubt that!" Max joked as she saw she had lost his attention again, slapping his face lightly to enforce her point. "It's a shame," Alec said, and that made her stop, trying to figure out what he meant. "Well she must get pretty lonely," Alec went on, not entirely serious, but trying to wind her up a little, "nothing but fish to talk to out there in the ocean". Max found herself smiling despite whatever animosity she was harbouring for him, and her touch became a little more gentle. The poor boy had some serious issues. "Give it up Alec," she said, a little more kindly, "I don't think the two of you would work out!"

"Yeah," Alec said, sighing a little for effect, but he turned a little more serious with his next few words. "I always do this though - y'know, go for the ones I can't have?" Unfortunately, the fairly glaringly obvious subtext was lost on Max and she just laughed a little, "Figures!" He shook his head a little in disbelief. What more did he have to do to get her to figure it out?! Walk around with a big flashing neon sign professing his feelings?! He couldn't help it then, feeling a little resentful, so he just said, "Well you should talk! I mean you, Logan, virus - hello?" 

That apparently wasn't his smartest move though as she grabbed his shirt, pulling him up dangerously close to his face, "Don't even---". Unfortunately she was completely oblivious to the company coming up behind him. And the angle presented to them was slightly different. Some girl sitting on Alec's lap, pressed up very closely against him, only centimetres between their faces. But Alec had noticed them, and figured he might as well take advantage of the opportunity. "Hey guys!" he said cheerfully.

Max pulled back, perhaps a little too quickly, so much so that Alec had to pull her closer to him to stop her falling off him altogether. She was unbelievably embarrassed as she saw Sketchy and Normal standing there, catching her in an extremely compromising position with Alec of all people. "Oh my God!" she whispered under her breath, which Alec just managed to overhear. Normal obviously found the whole thing too strange and walked off, shaking his head, but Sketchy was a little more persistent.

"Hey Max! I didn't know you worked here". "Just one night a week," Alec said quickly before Max could say anything, "why'd you think I wanted to come tonight?" Sketchy smiled, raising his eyebrows a little. "Well I guess we'll leave you guys to it!" he said, "See ya later!" he walked off then, but not without one more parting smile at Max. Max groaned as soon as he was out of earshot, "God could this night get any worse?" she muttered, oblivious of the effect those seven little words had on the poor guy she was sitting on. 

Coulda left it there, but I'm feeling generous, so here's flashback #2 - "Borrowed time"…

He had secretly been pleased that Max had called him for help that night. He decided to milk it for all it was worth anyway, making plenty of jokes about the less-than-legal nature of what she was asking him to do, but he figured she deserved it. She did seem to be a little on edge though, so he tried a different tack. "So come on then Max - what are you gonna use your half of the money for? New motorcycle? New apartment?" He obviously had nothing so far so he deliberately tried to provoke her, "New boyfriend?" he was still wrong, but by the look of it he was getting closer.

He didn't want to think that he was right, but he had to ask, "New DNA markers for current boyfriend?" This time there came no disapproving look from Max, all she could do was look at him a little sheepishly. "Argh!" he said, a little pissed off and slightly upset too, "I can't believe this! I've been stuck in this closet for over an hour to facilitate you having sex! That's what I've been reduced to. I'm a pimp!" Max rolled her eyes, but he could tell that that had made her feel a little bad anyway. She retreated into her safety net though, "It's not even like that".

Alec swore under his breath, she should record that so she wouldn't have to keep saying it all the time. "Yeah, yeah," he said, annoyed at himself for getting so bothered by the idea in the first place, "just tell me...tell me that he's worth all this trouble Max. I mean, tell me he...he rocks your world! _Something _at least!" But she couldn't, so she didn't answer. He started to wonder then, "You and Logan _have_ done it right?" he asked, somewhat in disbelief, "I mean before the whole virus thing, you knew each other for like, what, a year? Max?" But she still couldn't say anything. 

She looked up at him to see his expression of disbelief. "Not that this is any of your business, but...with me and Logan it was just never the right time". Alec nodded, "Yeah sure," he said, sarcasm not coming through till now, "I can see how the right time might elude you...for a _year_!" Max just shot him another death look then and he decided to shut up. It was perverse he thought, but he was actually pleased that Max and Logan had never actually done anything. Not that it mattered much now though, he thought glumly, as long as this job worked out, she wouldn't be able to say that for much longer.

***

So there he was, a few hours later, sitting in Crash and doing his best to get himself well and truly legless. Which was all well and good - in theory. Unfortunately it took a hell of a lot of alcohol to get an X5 drunk so it was becoming more boring than anything as he was still very sober. Oh well, that was it, he thought, Max had skipped off to get her cure as soon as they had finished at her fence and right now, her and Logan were probably... He shook off that thought, that really wasn't helping.

He didn't realise at first why it was so much of a problem for him, but eventually the dull thud of realisation hit him. If Max got the cure, then there was absolutely nothing preventing her from being with Logan and that meant Alec was well and truly out of the picture. Not that he had really had a chance with Max before, given how they were always fighting, but he had even less than that now, and it bothered him a lot more than he would have liked. She could be completely infuriating and stubborn and no one could drive him crazy like she could - but despite that, actually no - probably because of that, he thought with a slight laugh, he truly liked her.

Whatever he had thought at first, it was becoming more and more painfully obvious to him, that he couldn't be _just_ friends with Max for much longer. Seeing her with Logan, Zack, even that slightly weird Manticore guy 'Brain' - it was making him crazy. He'd invent the slightest excuse to be around her, no matter how mad it made her. But whatever he did, it clearly wasn't working, especially now that her and Logan had the cure. Actually that was probably what bothered him most of all...Logan.

He wasn't exactly a bad guy or anything, Alec had to admit, but the effect and hold he had over Max was depressing. He couldn't blame Logan for loving Max - it only hurt that she loved him back. He swallowed another shot and then cast his eyes round the club again. He stopped as he saw one girl sitting at a table by herself, she caught his glance and smiled, waving him over. 'What the hell?' he thought, he couldn't do anything to physically harm Logan (at least not without Max killing him afterwards) so he moved on to the next best thing. He knew Logan didn't love Asha the way he loved Max, but still - if he found out that Asha had gone home that night with Alec, it would seriously piss him off.

"Asha," he greeted as he slid onto a spare stool at her table, signing to the bartender to send them some more drinks over. "It's okay," Asha said, "I was just gonna say hi and then I was gonna call it a night". "If you say so - but trust me, I think you might want that last drink!" That had captured her interest, and twenty minutes later she was still there, joining Alec in a slightly drunken toast. "Logan and Max," Asha said, raising her glass. "Max and Logan," Alec replied, clinking his against hers. Asha sat back, a little reflectively as she drank. "Wonder what they're doing right now," she mused, more to herself than him. 

She looked up and caught his expression which just screamed 'oh please!' "You know what I mean!" Asha retaliated, rolling her eyes, "Logan's so romantic - I bet he made her dinner. Wine, candles...I bet it's perfect". Alec couldn't help but let out a little sorrowful laugh, "Yeah, that sounds like them. I mean, why consummate two years of unbridled passion when you can have pasta?" "You're a pig," Asha cut back, a little too tipsy to notice the bitter tone in his voice, "you don't know anything about love". He had to let that one go because he knew she was starting to get drunk, but it still hurt, bringing up memories of Rachel again, memories that he had been trying really hard to bury for the time being. 

Asha just carried on talking, again more to herself than to him, going on about wishing them happiness and things like that. "You're a liar," he said, carrying on as he saw her questioning expression, "you don't wish them all the happiness in the world - you want Logan for yourself". "I mean, come on," he went on, "you had it all dialled in when Max was back at Manticore, presumed dead. You and Logan, doing your hero thing, spending hours together in his fancy little apartment, all tuned up about the ways of the world. It was a good time for you, right?"

"Yeah", Asha said sarcastically, "he was thinking about Max every second of every day". Alec hid an ironic smile inside him, 'wonder what that's like', he thought. Asha was still talking the whole time and just finished by saying, "Even with the whole virus thing, they never gave up on each other. No matter how I feel about it, I have to respect that - because that, my friend, is true love". 'True love?', Alec thought, granted he didn't exactly have years of experience, but he still didn't see it somehow.

"Yeah right," he said eventually, "They've never even once said 'I love you'. Max? Max would choke on the words, and Logan? Well he'd probably say it...in an email! No, Logan is a repressed WASP and Max is a...", he trailed off, several words coming to mind - 'pain in the ass', 'bitch', 'goddess', 'angel'......'god what the hell is wrong with me?' he thought. "Broken toy," he eventually finished, "the two of them will never work out together". "You're just a cynic," Asha said, shaking her head, but he could see that he still held her attention, her eyes never left his the whole time, so he went in for the kill.

"No. I'm someone who believes in going after what he wants, and damn the consequences...we're living on borrowed time. If you don't put your heart out there on the line, then you're never really living at all". "If _I_ loved someone," he went on, trying to shut out the voice in the back of his head that was telling him he already did, "I'd tell 'em. And if I wanted someone, then I would let her know, straight up". "Asha," he said, setting his glass down and taking her hand in his, "I want you - come home with me". She had thought about it, but only for a second, then she was grabbing her coat and following him outside.

He only began to feel a little apprehensive about it once they got back to his place and he was letting her inside, telling her to make herself comfortable. He didn't know why it was such a big deal, actually he did, but he was trying not to think about it. He'd been with plenty of girls since he'd gotten out of Manticore, and okay, Asha was a little nicer than most of them, but at the end of the day she was still just a girl right? He went to fix them some more drinks, though god knows, they probably didn't need any more alcohol that night, and then he walked back into the living room.

She was already curled up on the sofa, and by the time he reached it, he could tell that she had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful and...innocent, he thought. Too innocent for him to do this to her, he decided. He got a blanket from his bedroom, pulling her boots off and lifting her legs up on to the sofa properly. Whatever his feelings about Max and Logan getting together, Asha didn't deserve him taking it out on her, so he just let her sleep. It'd almost been worth it anyway when Max did come over that night. Okay so nothing had happened, but she had looked pissed finding Asha asleep on his sofa as he emerged straight from the shower.

He saw her react to him then, whether she had wanted to or not. Maybe she wasn't devoid of feeling for him after all. He held onto that thought, and it worked for all of about two hours. When Joshua had arrived and freed them from the car and the Gossamer was safely contained, he had looked over to her, only to find her making eyes at Logan again. He cleared everyone else out then, letting them have their moment, wishing (however futilely) that just once, Max would look at him like that.

Right, well that was the first instalment. I know this may seem a little slow at first, but it's important back-story as far as I'm concerned. The flashbacks do get progressively longer and more interesting (at least I hope they do!) and there's a healthy chunk of original story afterwards about the events post-Freak Nation. Hope ya liked it anyway! *SS*


	2. two

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: is it even worth writing these things anymore? Probably not, but you all know nothing DA related belongs to me right? Would it be cancelled if that wasn't true?!

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Rating: PG-13 **/ **R. I have issues with ratings - basically I go more on a general atmosphere than anything else, and I think this isn't too kid-friendly!

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Summary: Set somewhere during a now hypothetical third season. After the situation at Jam Pony, as the siege at TC continues, Max has just started to get her life back in order, when an old enemy resurfaces to wreak havoc on her life again. And guess what? It's another M/A - completely unapologetically, self-indulgently M/A! I don't care what the writers on the show thought, they are still my favourite couple!

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Author's note: Right, flashback #3 - "Harbour Lights". This is a fairly major departure from the episode, but I like it better this way. Basically, thought the idea of the episode was fine, but it just hacked me off that Alec wasn't in it - I mean, where was he when all this happening to Max? On vacation? Anyway, fixed it my way now - so I hope ya like it! *SS*

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A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

Flashback #3 - "Harbour Lights"

He remembered that afternoon clearly. He had been sitting in Jam Pony in between runs, just taking a break and watching the TV. And if he was going to be completely honest, wondering where Max was. He had paged her a few times but she wasn't answering. OC said she had been fine that morning so he had let it go, but he was starting to worry a little. He flicked through the channels, scanning for anything interesting, when he caught one news report that certainly matched that description. 

It was a live report outside Harbour Lights, a hospital downtown. The place had turned into a circus with all the government agencies crowding round trying to get in. "Once again," the reporter said, "CDC officials are now on scene at the hospital today to attend to the possible viral threat. It is believed that this threat is concentrated around a young woman who was brought in this afternoon after suffering a gun shot wound. No one has yet come forward to say exactly what the contagion may be, but we are assured that details will be communicated to the press once the CDC complete their investigation".

Alec went pale. He didn't need to hear a name or see a face, he knew instantly who it was. Max. He got up and reached for his cell phone, dialling quickly. "Hello?" came the answer on the other end. "Logan, man," Alec said, "tell me you saw the news". "It's okay," Logan said, "I'm already at the hospital. I've been keeping an eye on her since she was brought in this morning and so far nothing serious has gone down". "This morning?" Alec gasped, "And were you even planning on calling me about this?" There was a definite pause on the other end as Logan thought about that.

He wasn't sure why Alec was so upset. It could mean exposure for them, he thought, but he wasn't going to let it get that far. Sam Carr was already covering up her medical history so all they had to do was get her out of there. "I've been down here all morning keeping an eye on things," he repeated eventually, "I didn't exactly have time for a chat!" Alec swore under his breath, but Logan didn't catch that. "Where are you?" he said, already walking out. "At the moment I'm parked just outside of the whole media blockade, trying to hack into the hospital's security system, see if I can see what's going on". "I'll be there in 10," Alec said, hanging up before Logan could reply. Alec rode quickly through the streets, pounding out his anxiety and frustration on the pedals, practically breaking them in the process. 

He knew he and Logan weren't exactly buddies, but he should have called him about Max. He just hoped she was okay. He found Logan fairly quickly, leaving his bike a few blocks back. He knocked on the car door so Logan knew it was him and then he slid into the passenger's seat. "So what's going on?" he asked, not bothering to say hi. "Some guy from the FBI showed up a few minutes ago - he's arguing with the CDC guys about her right now". "Since when did the FBI take an interest in viral outbreaks?" Alec asked, beginning to get a sinking feeling. "You ever think it might have been White?" he prompted when Logan didn't say anything. 

This hit Logan like a brick wall - he hadn't even thought to find out. "Look I'm going in there," Alec said, "we've got to try and get her out now". "You don't think I'm worried?" Logan snapped back, "But they aren't gonna let you just waltz in there!" "I'll say I'm family or something," Alec said, already starting to get out of the car. "Wait," Logan said, calling him back, "they've already seen me - I gave her name as Linda Eastmann...my wife". 'Figures', Alec thought, cursing under his breath. "Alright, well I'll figure something else out," Alec said, "just give me a few minutes at least - I can call you and give you a better idea of what's going on in there". 

Logan reluctantly nodded, but there wasn't really anything he could do to stop him. Alec snuck round to the back of the hospital, knocking out a couple of guards and moving quietly inside. He got a view of the lobby and he saw that it was White who was arguing with the CDC doctors. 'Damn', he thought. He had to do something fast if she wasn't going to get caught. He saw an elevator at the other end of the hallway and a couple of doctors in biohazard suits making their way towards it. He made a choice. 

Keeping his back to White, he moved as quickly as he could down the hall to the elevator. The doctors tried to stop him as he got into the lift with them, but they were both unconscious before long. Now he had a plan. Luckily no one was watching the elevator on the floor above Max's room, so he managed to get the two guys out and into a storage room before anyone saw him. Before he left the room he had another idea, grabbing a couple of packets off the shelf and then he took the elevator back down to Max's floor. 

Once he stepped out of the elevator he blended in entirely. He was just another guy in a biohazard suit, making the rounds. He found Max's room quickly, not that it was particularly difficult, and dismissed the nurse left to keep watch while he went in to talk to her. She seemed a little groggy, but woke up quickly when she saw him leaning over her. "I don't know what else you perv's are looking for--" she started, stopping in shock as he removed his helmet. "Alec?" "To the rescue! You expecting someone else?" he asked, shooting her a grin, just relieved to see that she was basically okay.

"Come on," he said, "we've got to get you out of here fast - White's on his way up". That brought her to her senses quickly and she started sitting up, pulling the lines out of her arms and the heart-monitor pads off her chest. "You okay to move?" he asked, glancing down in the general direction of her wound. "More or less," Max said as she shakily got to her feet, "I might let you carry me some of the way!" He rolled his eyes, tossing her one of the packets he had picked up upstairs. She looked at him quizzically at first, then realised what it was - a set of surgical scrubs. He turned round while she changed, trying not to think about the sight behind him. 

Just then his cell phone rang and he unzipped one of the suit pockets answering it quickly while watching the door. "Logan?" "Yeah," came the reply, "you're gonna have to move fast," he said, "White's coming up now". "Great disguise by the way," he added. "What?" Alec asked. "CDC left a camera in the back left corner of the room," Logan explained, "I'm blocking the feed to their computers but I can see you". That surprised Max a little, she wasn't particularly keen on the idea of him watching her change. "Where's Max?" Logan asked, "I can't see her". 

Alec looked puzzled for a second, but then figured that from where he was standing, he was effectively blocking Max out of sight from the camera. Max figured this out too and shot a relieved, if slightly embarrassed smile at Alec as he stepped aside. "I'm okay," she said, taking the phone from Alec, "you got any exit plans?" "I've called in a favour," Logan said, "can you make it to the roof?" "See you there in five minutes," Max said, ending the call. Alec had already overheard so he knew what the plan was. He put his helmet back on and check outside the door, then pushing Max in front of him they made their way to the elevator again. 

Once inside the elevator, Alec pulled off the helmet again and started unfastening his suit. Max looked at him a little strangely, but then realised he was wearing scrubs underneath the suit. "Aren't you well-organised today?" she joked, but she felt her legs buckle a little as she said that. Alec stepped forward and caught her, realising she was a little weaker than she had said. The elevator stopped then and they made their way outside, checking that no one was watching as they climbed the last flight of stairs up to the roof, or rather, Alec climbed the last flight of stairs. 

Despite Max's objections, he carried her up the stairs, not wanting her to exert herself while she was still so weak. He set her down when they came to the top, while he went to call Logan to check where he was. Unfortunately, someone else got there first. Max barely had time to get to her feet as she saw White approaching. She knew she wasn't up to a fight, but he caught up with her before she could get to Alec. He wasn't exactly in the mood for talking, immediately attacking her - determined to take her down. In her weakened state it wasn't going to take much doing either. 

She managed to cry out for Alec just as he delivered one last punch which knocked her unconscious. White bent down to check her pulse and got knocked flat on his ass by a very pissed off X5-494. As soon as he had heard her call he had gone rushing back to get her, leaving Logan (who had landed on the roof by this time) to follow, rather more slowly. Alec went ballistic at White, matching every kick and punch with one of even greater intensity. Logan came to an abrupt halt as he saw the two men fighting, and for the first time he was a little afraid of Alec. 

He looked like he had gone wild as he pummelled White, taking no notice of any wounds he was receiving. It took him a minute or so, but he managed to knock White out and then Logan came rushing in. They both got to Max, but she was still unconscious and Logan just looked to Alec with a kind of desperate sorrow in his eyes - he still couldn't touch her. Alec bent down, checking Max for any bone breaks or serious injuries, "Just in case you can hear this Max," he decided to add, "I'm not trying to cop a feel, just making sure you didn't break anything!" 

He didn't bother to look up, already knowing what kind of disapproving expression Logan was pulling. Luckily Max was basically okay - some more bruises and a couple of fractures but that was all. He carefully picked her up then, hurrying with Logan back to the waiting helicopter. She didn't wake up until they got back to her apartment, OC letting them and helping Alec to get her on the sofa. "Hey she's coming out of it," OC said, who had been sitting by her, holding a cold cloth to her somewhat feverish forehead. 

"Hey how d'you feel?" Logan asked gently as she started to open her eyes. "Like I've been shot and then knocked around by a breeding cult asshole masquerading as an FBI agent!" Max replied straight-faced, "Next dumb question!" "Well at least they didn't get your sense o' humour!", OC laughed, kissing Max lightly on the forehead. "Alec?" Max asked, not seeing him at first. "Still here!" he said, walking over to the couch and despite knowing it would piss Logan off, taking her hand in his. "Can one of you tell me what actually happened up there?" Max asked, "I'm still a little fuzzy on the details!" 

"Well Mr GQ here saved the day!" Alec asked, ignoring the questioning looks of both Logan and OC who knew the true story. "White knocked you out and I came back to take him on" Alec went on, "but he was basically kicking my ass!" "I woulda gone down too, but then Logan came up behind him and took him out with a rather hefty lump of lead piping laying around from the building work - it was pretty impressive!" 'Though not as impressive as your ability to come up with a cover story that fast', Logan thought, still wondering why he had done it. 

Max turned to Logan with a smile then, "Typical!" she said, "Logan Cale kicks some serious ass and I get to sleep through the whole thing!" "Thank you," she said, more earnestly, giving him a far more heartfelt smile. "Anytime," Logan said. "Well I guess you're gonna want to get some rest now," Alec said, letting go of Max's hand and standing up, needing to be somewhere else. "Think you can manage that?" he asked, teasing her. "Probably!" Max laughed, "But thanks Alec - I guess even pains in the ass have their uses sometimes!" "Guess so!" Alec said, laughing at her joke and then making his way to the door. 

Logan stopped him before he could leave though, talking to him quietly. "Not that I don't appreciate that," he said, hoping Max couldn't hear him, "but why didn't you just tell Max the truth?" Alec rolled his eyes, for such a smart guy Logan could be extremely dense on occasion. "Why'd you think?" he asked, "I just told Max what she needed to hear, nothing more to it than that". Logan just nodded, watching Alec walk out, as did Cindy. In fact the only person that wasn't was Max. She lay there on the sofa, her mind racing - she had heard every word he just said.

Feeling generous today, so next flashback is up too as chapter three - "Hello Goodbye"! *SS*


	3. three

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

****

Disclaimer: is it even worth writing these things anymore? Probably not, but you all know nothing DA related belongs to me right? Would it be cancelled if that wasn't true?!

****

Rating: PG-13 **/ **R. I have issues with ratings - basically I go more on a general atmosphere than anything else, and I think this isn't too kid-friendly!

****

Summary: Set somewhere during a now hypothetical third season. After the situation at Jam Pony, as the siege at TC continues, Max has just started to get her life back in order, when an old enemy resurfaces to wreak havoc on her life again. And guess what? It's another M/A - completely unapologetically, self-indulgently M/A! I don't care what the writers on the show thought, they are still my favourite couple!

****

Author's note: Flashback #4 - "Hello Goodbye". Slightly different from episode - okay, so maybe 'slightly' is an understatement, but hey - my world right?! We get to see a little more of Alec's reaction to Max's revelation about Ben, and Logan has a particularly stupid, drunken moment. (sorry Logan fans but as far as I'm concerned it's justified in this context!) *SS*

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

Flashback #4 - "Hello Goodbye"

Alec moved round the counter to stand beside her. He could tell he hadn't got the full story yet, and wondered what exactly Max was leaving out. "What is it Max?" he asked, turning a little to look at her. He saw her shoulders slump a little, but she didn't turn round. She was really regretting starting to talk to Alec about Ben, but at the same time she couldn't stop now. She had never told anyone else what she was about to tell him, but for whatever reason, she couldn't lie to him now. "We were in the woods," she started.

"He was hurt...Manticore was closing in". "He didn't want to go back there," she finished, feeling tears begin to build behind her eyelids. "Re-indoctrination," Alec supplied, his own memories re-emerging, not exactly painlessly, "or worse". Max really hesitated then, but she had to go on, "I killed him". Alec's eyes widened a little in shock, but he could see that she wasn't done so let her continue. "He asked me to, so I did," Max said, her voice starting to break and tears running down her face, "And then I ran - I saved myself. And I just…left his body there for them to take away". 

She couldn't help but let the tears out then and she started to cry properly. All the stored up pain and guilt that she had been carrying around for months all came spilling out then, in that one moment...with him. Alec himself was too shocked to speak at first, feeling pain of his own as he heard her cry. He went to her then, gently at first, not wanting to startle her. He wrapped an arm round her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Max I'm sorry," he whispered, "I never knew".

"They never told me what happened to him," he went on. Max tried to stop herself crying, not wanting to be seen as this vulnerable, not by Alec of all people. But she couldn't stop. She leaned closer into Alec and before she knew what she was doing, she was standing up and walking into his arms properly, resting her head against his chest as she continued to cry. He tensed a little at first, but then wrapped his arms more tightly around her, holding her closely to him. He whispered soothingly to her as he stroked her hair, feeling terrible that she had been carrying all this pain inside and he never knew about it.

When Max finally pulled back she realised she had left quite the tear stain on Alec's shirt. It had actually soaked through to his skin underneath, but he hadn't moved her until she was ready. "Sorry about that," she said, reaching a hand up to let it fall over the dark patch. "Don't be," Alec answered seriously, reaching up to take her hand in his. They had stayed like that for a minute or two and then the kettle had boiled, temporarily breaking the moment as Max went to make the coffee.

They sat together on the sofa afterwards, nursing their cups and drinking slowly. Neither felt the need to speak at first, but it was Alec that broke the silence at last. "I'm glad you told me Max," he said, honestly, looking right into her eyes, "you should never have had to carry this around by yourself". "Believe me," he said, "that's the worst thing you can do when you've got this kind of grief and guilt hanging over your head". Max looked right back at him, she knew he was talking about Rachel, something she wasn't sure he'd ever be able to do.

"You think it'll be easier," Alec went on, letting his eyes drop, feeling her gaze to be too intense at the moment, "you just push it to the back of your mind and try not to let it show. But you can't stop thinking about it, and you never will. You just have to hope that it gets easier in time...but you can't keep it to yourself". He looked back up at her then and saw her nod, managing a weak smile. "I don't know why I kept it a secret for as long as I did," she said, trying to make sense of the confusion in her mind, "I couldn't tell Logan - I couldn't even tell OC", she went on. 

"I guess I wasn't sure how they'd take it," she said, sighing, "in the back of my mind, I always worried that they'd judge me. That they'd stop seeing me as me, and start seeing the soldier I've tried to avoid becoming ever since I escaped". "I think I had it all wrong," she said, "I don't think it was ever about Manticore letting go of me - it was about me letting go of Manticore, and however much I hated it, it's always going to be a part of me. I'll always be X5-452". 

"Yes you will," Alec said, worried about where this was going, "but you'll always control how big a part of your life that is. You'll always be Max first and 452 second - I know that". She looked intently at him then and he quickly added, "And so do all your friends," when her gaze became a little too much. "You just have to learn where to draw the line," he went on, "you can't allow yourself to see what happened to Ben as your fault, or you may as well give up now".

"That had nothing to do with you as a person Max," he said, firmly, making her pay attention, "that was all Manticore - the same as it was for me and...for me and Rachel," he managed to say, but his voice was starting to sound a little shaky. "For so long I blamed myself entirely for what happened to her," he went on, Max only now beginning to see the depth of pain he had carried around for her, "I just hid behind this façade of being 'always alright'. I was too scared to let anyone see who I really was".

"But then I met you," he said, "you made me realise that I was more than just X5-494. You made me get my head back together, and you helped me to say goodbye to her when I finally had the chance to". "I'll never get over what happened to Rachel, in the same way you'll never get over what happened to Ben, but you can't let that be the most important thing in your life - you have to let yourself move on". "And that doesn't mean that you don't care," he insisted, knowing that was the first thing she was going to say.

They shared a look then, some tension being released between them anyway. "Wow," Max said, a slight smile crossing her face as she wiped the tears away, "when did we get all deep and meaningful?" "You got me!" Alec said, going along with the joke. "Y'know it's going to be---". "Okay?" Max finished "I think you're right". She set her cup down and pulled him into a loose hug again, "Thank you Alec, she said, meaning that more sincerely than she had to anyone in her whole life before that.

***

They sat and talked for several hours after that, Max still a little quiet at first, but becoming more comfortable and confident as the hours wore on. She realised that she had never really gotten to know Alec, not in all the months since she destroyed Manticore, but now that she was, her opinion of him was starting to change. They discussed all sorts of things, from friends to work to Manticore, leaving out only one subject - Logan. Max obviously didn't want to bring him up, so Alec didn't either.

There was just one thing stuck in the back of her mind that Max hadn't been able to forget, so she asked him about it now. "A few weeks ago," she said, "when I was at the hospital," she started, hesitating as if waiting for some response. "Yeah?" Alec asked, not quite sure what she was leading up to. "It wasn't Logan that beat White was it?" Max questioned, still a little hesitant, "It was you". Alec thought for a second before he answered, realising there wasn't much point in lying now.

"You overheard me talking to Logan?" he asked, but it was really more of a statement than a question, just confirmed when she nodded her head. "You said it was 'what I needed to hear'," Max went on, "I just wondered what you meant by that". Alec hesitated again, but decided she wasn't quite ready for the truth yet. "I just meant that it would have seriously messed with your opinion of me as an asshole!" he joked, "You seemed so determined for it to be true, I didn't want to prove you wrong!"

"Alec!" Max said, with a hint of regret in her voice. She took his hand in hers and spoke more gently, "I'm sorry I jumped to that conclusion," she said, "though I'm still right most of the time!" "Ah!" Alec protested, holding his other hand to his heart as if she had wounded him, "You just won't admit that I'm actually not half as bad as I'm cracked up to be!" "I'm starting to get that," Max said, smiling, still holding his hand. He hadn't noticed that at first, but then he glanced down and she caught his eye line, realising what he was looking at. 

She let go of his hand then, not too quickly, but quick enough not to pass on any more mixed signals to add to the confusion between them. "Well I hate to be the one to say it," she said, "y'know - shark DNA and all. But I am actually getting pretty tired!" "Yeah," Alec said, "I guess I should get going - let you get some sleep". "No wait!" Max said as he started to get up, "You can't go home yet". It took a second for her to realise how that sounded and by then all she could do was glare at the smirk forming on his face. "I had no idea you wanted me so badly!" he joked, though lowering his voice to a more seductive tone. 

"In your dreams!" she replied, smiling and pushing him away as he leaned in a little too close to her, sadly unaware of how close to the truth she was. "I just meant it's not safe for you to go home yet," she said, "not with the cops still out for you". Alec nodded, trying to think of something to say quickly before Max's thoughts returned to Ben and upset her again. "I'm sure I can find somewhere to stay," he offered. "I'm sure you could," Max said, with the beginnings of an evil smile, "if you're as good as your...'reputation', I'm sure you've probably got at least a dozen girls on speed dial, just waiting for you to call and ask for somewhere to stay!" 

He pretended to look outraged then, but couldn't keep it going for long. "You wouldn't be looking to test that reputation would you?" he asked, knowing it was going to get him into trouble again. He had been expecting some kind of a comeback at least, but what he got was a seductive smile as she stood up, brushing up _very_ close to him as she walked past and whispering, "Maybe". He had to swallow a couple of times before he could speak again, but then he looked up and caught the grin on her face. 

"You--!" he started, getting over his initial anxiety and laughing with her, "Damn, Max! You should be careful when you say things like that!" "I'm sorry!" Max managed to get out in between giggles, "But your face...it was hysterical!" "Oh well I'm glad you find me so amusing!" Alec joked sarcastically. Max eventually stopped laughing, wiping her eyes and smiling consolingly at him. "I'm sorry," she said, not meaning it too much. "Look - like I said it is getting really late - why don't you just stay here tonight? I have it on good authority that there are a lot worse places than this sofa to spend a night!"

Alec teasingly pretended to consider it, but he agreed gratefully. "Good," Max smiled, "I'll just go get you a few blankets and stuff". She left the room for a second and Alec sat down on the couch, starting to undress a little. He'd only gotten as far as taking off his boots and jacket though as she returned, passing the blankets and pillow to him. "Thanks, Max," he said, smiling at her as he dumped the stuff on the couch next to him. "No problem," she replied, then suddenly seemed to think of something else, "Hey you don't snore do you?"

"What?!" Alec asked, a little surprised. "Not that I do - but I'd be in the next room anyway!" "I have sensitive hearing!" Max insisted, dodging the pillow as he swung it at her. "Goodnight Alec," she said, stepping forward and leaning in to kiss him lightly on the forehead. He was a little surprised at the gesture, but accepted it for what it was, saying goodnight to her too as she left for her own bedroom. He stayed on that couch quite happily for the rest of the night, sleeping better than he had in ages, that is until he was rudely awakened by Max telling him to get up because she had to go to work.

"You better lay low till we get this whole 'mistaken identity' thing sorted out," she said as they stepped out of her apartment building. "Yeah, maybe I'll crash at Joshua's," Alec said, "think he'll mind?" "You kidding?" Max said, a smile forming, "He'll love it!" Alec nodded, "I guess I should thank you for saving my butt - again!" he said, making her smile more widely. "I can't imagine what it must be like", he went on, "having me around? Some guy with Ben's face making you think about things you'd rather forget".

"Yeah", Max replied, all trace of that smile leaving her face. Alec swore under his breath, 'nice going!', he thought. "That's probably why I'm such a bitch to you sometimes!" Max offered, starting to pick up again. "Maybe", Alec mused, moving closer to her and wrapping an arm round her shoulders, "or maybe it's because I'm such a pain in the ass sometimes!" "Not arguing with that!" Max joked. "Hey!" he protested, "You weren't supposed to agree with me!"

He started to pull back from her, but she caught him, pulling him back into a proper hug...right in front of Logan who had been watching, just out of their sight. "Hey come on kiddo!" Alec said, trying to jolly her along, "It'll be okay". "Yeah," Max said, trying to convince herself, "I'll go see Logan about some papers for you and--" she trailed off, she had just promised herself that she wouldn't see Logan anymore. "Hey none of that!" Alec quickly interjected, seeing her face fall, "I know things seem really messed up with you and Logan right now, but they can't always be like that".

He really didn't want to be saying this to her right now, but he knew that it was what she really wanted. He pulled back from the hug, but left his arms round her waist, "The two of you are both so determined to fight this thing - you will find a cure in the end". "When you find someone that you really connect with like that, the last thing you should be doing is looking for a way to break that up". "Trust me," he said, more serious now, "don't just shut Logan out - you'll end up regretting it for the rest of your life if you do".

Max nodded, "So when did you get so insightful?" "Hey I'm deep!" Alec insisted, "I have...hidden depths!" "Hmm," Max teased, "_very_ hidden depths, they must be!" He let that one pass, hugging her to him one more time before he let her go. "I better get to Joshua's," he said, stepping back from her. "Hey," Max said, calling him back, "be careful". Alec couldn't resist a smile then, "Always!" he replied, touching his fist to her stomach and then walking off to Joshua's, trying to convince himself that he had just done the right thing.

***

Max had decided to take Alec's advice in the end and had gone round to see Logan about getting Alec a fake birth certificate and stuff to get him out of trouble with the cops. She tried calling him first, but he wasn't answering, so she went round to his apartment, wanting to make sure that he was okay. She let herself in to find the apartment very dark, so she figured he must have already gone to bed. She walked over to his computer desk, finding some paper and starting to write him a note, when she heard a click in the background and lights flooded on around her.

She whirled round in surprise to find him sitting on one of the sofas in the living room. Sitting there with a half-empty bottle of Scotch on the coffee table, and a slightly drunken expression on his face. "Logan," she said, suddenly concerned as she walked over to him, "are you okay?" "I'm sorry I came by so late," she added, "but I kinda needed to talk to you about something". "I'll bet!" Logan said, with a slight laugh that was not doing anything to remove her concern. "Logan what's going on?" she said, "Why are you drinking?"

"Well it seemed like a time to celebrate!" Logan said, and she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "I mean it's a big news day!" Logan went on, his speech sounding a little slurred. "What are you talking about?" Max asked, almost backing up as he stood up and walked over to her. "I wanted to talk to you earlier," Logan said, "I figured there were some things we needed to talk about and I wasn't sure if I'd get you on the phone...". Max realised what he was talking about, he had wanted to talk about their 'break-up'.

"I came by your apartment," Logan went on, moving closer and closer to her, 'til she could smell the alcohol on his breath, "and I saw _him_ leaving". "The two of you seemed awfully 'tight'!" he said, imitating OC's style of speech. "Logan--" she started, though not exactly sure what to say. "What?" he interrupted, "I mean if I've got it wrong just say so," he said, sounding a little more insistent, "tell me it's not true". About a million and one thoughts raced through Max's brain in the few seconds before she replied. 

She was completely torn about what to do. One the one hand there was still her love for Logan and the expectation of what could have been if they were virus-free, like Alec had said that morning, but on the other hand - they had no idea of when a cure would be coming their way, and in the meantime she could end up infecting him again and possibly killing him. She considered both sides carefully, recalling Alec's words from that morning, and then there was a whole new level of confusion. Alec.

Until the night before, Alec had meant little to her, but so much had changed since then. She felt like she really got to know him at last, to see what he was really like behind that 'always alright' mask he wore, and she realised that he did mean something to her. What that was, she had no idea at the moment, it didn't feel romantic, but she wasn't exactly in the right headspace to really make sense of anything at the moment. 

She made her decision then. Whether it was right or wrong, even she wasn't sure, but there it was. It seemed like hours to her since she had last spoken, even though it had only been a few seconds, but at last she said, "I...I can't". "I'm so sorry, Logan," she said, "but I can't just lie to you and tell you what you wanna hear". Logan didn't reply though - he couldn't, he was too shocked to speak. Max realised that she couldn't exactly ask him about documents for Alec now, so she started to leave, just needing to get away from the look of betrayal in Logan's eyes.

"I don't believe you," Logan said, calling her back. "I know you Max...you could never be with someone like him". Max turned then, slowly walking back towards him. "I mean come on!" Logan said, a little desperately, "The two of you argue all the time - he questions everything you do, makes jokes of your beliefs and morals when he has _none_ of his own, and the only things he seems to care about are his wallet and gettin' laid!" 

He reeled back then, as Max came within an inch of hitting him. "Don't you ever say things like that!" she warned, frightening him more then than she ever had, "You don't know the first thing about him!" If she was going to be honest, she had scared herself as much as him as she realised just how close she was to hitting him and re-infecting him all over again. But she didn't regret doing it. She was too confused to stay any longer then, just walking off and out of the apartment without another word.

Hmm, not one of my happier moments there, was it?! Oh well! There's another three flashback scenes to go, and then I'll get into the main story. Hope ya liked it anyway! *SS*


	4. four

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

****

Disclaimer: is it even worth writing these things anymore? Probably not, but you all know nothing DA related belongs to me right? Would it be cancelled if that wasn't true?!

****

Rating: PG-13 **/ **R. I have issues with ratings - basically I go more on a general atmosphere than anything else, and I think this isn't too kid-friendly!

****

Summary: Set somewhere during a now hypothetical third season. After the situation at Jam Pony, as the siege at TC continues, Max has just started to get her life back in order, when an old enemy resurfaces to wreak havoc on her life again. And guess what? It's another M/A - completely unapologetically, self-indulgently M/A! I don't care what the writers on the show thought, they are still my favourite couple!

****

Author's note: Flashbacks #5 and #6. Almost done with these scenes now, working up through 'Dawg Day Afternoon' and 'Love Amongst the Runes'. Just got 'Freak Nation' left to do, but that'll be the next chapter. Anyway, hope ya like this one - few more little insights into Max and Alec's minds as we go along. And can I just add - poor Alec for the beginning of flashback #6 - you'll know what I mean! *SS*

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

Flashback #5 - 'Dawg Day Afternoon'

The few days after that had been seriously weird for Max. She had been trying not to think about Logan too much, and about Alec even less. He kept shooting her odd looks, seeing something was wrong with her, but not wanting to intrude by asking what. It was Cindy that made her talk about in the end. They had been standing by the lockers when a pager went off. Max checked hers automatically, but the call was actually for Cindy. "You hopin' it was Logan?" "I don't know why I would," Max said, sighing and leaning back against the lockers, "like I said - it's over". 

"I wouldn't be so sure," Cindy replied, studying Max's face clearly. Max had told her the edited version of what had happened the other night with Logan. She knew that they had an argument, but she had really thought Max and Logan were meant to be together - then again, with the way things were at the moment, maybe she was wrong. Max hesitated for a second, but she needed to talk to someone about this, so the honour fell to OC. "Thing is," Max started, "I kinda told him I was seeing someone". "Who?" OC asked, surprised. Of course, that had to be the moment he chose to make an appearance, walking over to his locker with his usual, "Hey, ladies!" 

Max rolled her eyes - she had left him at Joshua's to get ready for work over an hour ago, and he was only now turning up! He smiled a quick thank you to Max for getting him the papers to get him out of trouble with the cops, but could see that her Cindy were in the middle of something, so he just left them to it. Max sighed inwardly, but she shifted her eyes to show Cindy that she was looking at Alec. That surprised her then - OC laughed. "You gotta be kidding me!" she said, not seeing the slightly resentful expression on Max's face. 

Alec looked over to them a little quizzically, but figured it was probably not something he should be getting into, so he went to find Sketchy. "It was the only way after what happened," Max said, trying to find some kind of explanation. That stopped OC laughing, she hadn't been entirely sure that Max was being serious - but she was now. "I know myself. As mad at him as I am now - little by little, I'd start to forget about it - start hanging with him again". 

"And sooner or later you two would accidentally touch again," OC supplied. "We can't risk it," Max said. That much was true at least, she was mad at the guy but that didn't mean she wanted him dead. Cindy nodded, beginning to understand. She was sorely tempted to ask Max why she'd chosen Alec to be her 'new man', but she resisted, guessing quite astutely that Max wouldn't even be able to tell her why. Instead she just asked, "Does he know he's your new squeeze?" 

"Hell no!" Max replied quickly, that would make things just a little _too_ complicated. "You planning on tellin' him?" OC asked. Max cast a glance over in his direction now, seriously considering the question. Sure there had been more to Alec than she had thought, she was finally starting to get to know him, but with all this new knowledge, she was confused enough about their 'relationship' - telling him would only complicate things further. "Not if I can help it," she replied, a little forlornly. 

***

Max spent the rest of the day then, trying to avoid Alec as much as possible. Which it turned out, wasn't somebody else's plan. After they caught the newscast together she had led them off to laser their barcodes, and the situation had been just slightly tense. She wasn't quite up to the stage of ogling him as he lay ass-upwards on the table, but it was still extremely awkward for her. Even more so when they switched positions, and it was him working on her barcode.

He could noticeably feel the muscles under her skin tense as he touched her, but he figured she was just jumpy that morning. It became a little clearer as Logan started to page her, but he still didn't know about the argument, so he didn't know why she was so determined to avoid him. "Come on Max, that's like the tenth time he's paged you," he said gently, "I know you don't particularly want to see him right now, but you can at least talk to him on the phone right?"

But Max wasn't crazy about that idea, just telling him to hurry up. He did so - until his cell phone rang. "Hey buddy, we were just talking about you!" he answered, as he heard Logan's voice, attempting to slightly diffuse the tension of the situation, not hearing Max groan as she realised who he was talking to. "So..." Logan said, after a _very_ long pause, "Max is with you?" That made Alec hesitate for a second, there was something in Logan's voice that sounded a little off, but he let it go for the moment.

He handed Max the phone, just side-stepping the slap she aimed at him. He still had no idea why she was so mad with him, but didn't push it for the time being. Max talked to Logan quickly, hanging up as soon as she could, she hadn't been really listening anyway. "I'm sorry about that," she said with a sigh as she hung up, "I didn't mean to take it out on you again, but I just really did _not_ need to be talking to Logan right now!" Alec nodded, offering an apologetic smile, though making a mental note to talk to Cindy about all this later.

***

She skipped out on him as soon as it was finished - and then came the news about Joshua. She raced over to the scene, trying to find a way down to the sewers to look for him. She swore as she saw all the placards the crowd were waving. All the usual crap about transgenics from people who knew absolutely nothing about them. And now a stupid vigilante gang had chased Joshua - who wouldn't hurt a fly - into the sewers because they thought he was dangerous and a threat to them.

She did eventually find him though, co-ordinating their escape with Logan of course, who had turned up just a little after Max, finding Alec already there to his dismay. He took a slight victory though, in the fact that Alec didn't know where Max was either. 'Some considerate, caring boyfriend he is!', Logan thought. They eventually found an exit route and Alec got out of the car to take care of any guards that might be waiting on the surface. He remembered watching Alec fight White a couple weeks ago. Some stupid residual male pride surfaced then as he realised that despite all his faults, Alec was stronger, faster and more able to protect her than Logan would ever be.

Max climbed up to the surface just in time to see Alec knock the last of the three guards to the floor, having to smile in approval at the flawless roundhouse kick he just executed. Alec smiled to them and made some comment about rescuing her again, but she wasn't really listening. She had already seen Logan's car approaching, and decided she was going to give Logan a little more of a visual. She knew it was a little spiteful, but she couldn't resist. Just as she saw Logan reach a distance where he could make them out, she walked over to Alec, pulling him into a loose hug as she thanked him. Alec was a little confused at the continuing 'friendly' contact, but quickly released her as he saw Logan pull up, not guessing what she was doing.

Flashback #6 - 'Love amongst the runes' 

He didn't actually find out about Max's lie to Logan until a couple weeks later. They had gone to find Logan some computer equipment after White's goons trashed his place. Alec wasn't exactly enthused at the task. They had enough going on in Terminal City at the moment already, and Max was still acting strange, but they were still spending hours doing jobs for Logan. They finally found something in an old genetics lab, and it was only then that he decided to ask her about him.

"Why was Logan asking about me?" he said, wondering why the guy had asked Max about him while they were talking earlier. His advanced hearing being strong enough to pick that up. "Just making conversation Alec!" Max shot back, mimicking his words from a few minutes before. But he had caught the slightest flash across her face as she heard the question. It had worried her, though he didn't know why. He didn't find that out 'til they got back to their 'HQ' and he offered to take the equipment round to Logan himself.

"You can't really send any of the uh, mutant parade over there - I'll do it". "You don't have to," Max said, quickly, grabbing the bag back from him. "I don't mind," Alec said, wondering what was bothering her. "I can ask...Biggs to take it when he gets here," Max adlibbed quickly. "Okay, I can understand why _you_ don't want to go over there," Alec said, still not getting it, "but I can do it. I mean, the sooner he gets it, the better". He took the bag again, but again, Max grabbed it off him. "Leave it," she said, more firmly.

"What is your problem?" Alec asked, wondering what exactly could have spooked Max so much. Max hesitated, she had managed to avoid telling him so far, but he was starting to look angry, so she figured she'd have to do it. "I guess you're going to find out sooner or later," she said, avoiding his eye line, "I...I told Logan you and me were together". What she hadn't been prepared for was the hurt in his voice. She'd expected him to laugh, to make some kind of cocky comeback, something typically 'Alec' - she hadn't expected him to be upset.

"What?" "I'm sorry," Max said, looking up at him now, "I had to". "Are you kidding?" Alec asked, still hoping she was. But she just shook her head, "This virus thing isn't going anywhere, and I can't afford any more accidents. He came over to see me the morning after I got you out of jail and he saw us together - he jumped to conclusions and...and I didn't correct him". Alec couldn't believe it. He was just coming to terms with his feelings for Max, and accepting that she didn't return them, when she had to _use_ him as an..._excuse_ so she could break up with Logan.

A lot of things swam into focus then. Why Logan had been asking about him. Why she put on that display of hugging him in front of Logan when they had gone to rescue Joshua. He thought she might at least have had some feelings for him, but she was just faking it the whole time. "Why do you have to drag me into it?" he asked, hurt still obvious in his face and voice. "I..." Max started, realising just how upset he was, but not understanding why, "I'm sorry - I had to push him away". 

"Yeah so blame Alec right?" Alec snapped back, now more angry than anything else, "'Cause he's just the kind of jerk that'd steal another guy's girl!" "Please, don't," Max said as Alec snatched the bag and began to walk out. "Max, whatever's going on with you and Logan has nothing to do with me," he said, resolutely, trying to ignore the pain he was feeling, "I'm not going to be the bad guy". Max just let him go in the end. She was scared of what he would say to Logan, but she had to admit that she was worried about him too. She hadn't seen him that upset for quite a while, and she had no idea why.

***

Alec had planned to tell Logan the truth as soon as he got over there. He didn't want Max play-acting like she was dating him if she was still in love with Logan and actually felt nothing for him. But as he started to listen to Logan's words, something stopped him. Logan had really come to terms with it, he realised. He certainly wasn't happy about it, but he had let her go. He didn't sound angry or sad or anything really - just resigned to the way things were now. "Just treat her right," Logan said, and that was all he could face saying to Alec then. "I will," was Alec's only response and he walked back out of the house.   
  
***

Max was trying seriously hard to drown her sorrows that night at Crash. It had been about four hours since Alec had gone over to Logan's and she hadn't heard anything from either of them since. Cindy sat opposite her, taking her hand as Max drained another pint glass. "It had to come out sooner or later boo," she said, trying to sound comforting. "Yeah, I guess so," Max replied, but she didn't look any happier. OC saw Alec approaching then, and she got up to talk to him first. "Don't make her feel any worse than she already does," she warned, poking her finger into his chest to enforce her point.

She walked off then to give them some privacy, and Alec took her seat opposite Max, not speaking at first while he finished his drink. Max sighed then, he was really going to make her work for this. "So, you gonna tell me what happened?" she asked eventually. Alec drained his glass and then looked up at her. "I didn't tell him," he said, knowing that's what she was asking. That surprised Max quite considerably, he had looked really mad that morning - why didn't he tell Logan the truth?

"Thanks," she said, hoping he would provide some explanation of his own. "I just figured you were right," Alec said, "I mean, you had to tell him _something_". "Only that's not what pushed him away - I don't know what could". 'Great', Max thought, something else to make her feel even worse. "He let go," Alec said, "because he wanted you to be happy". Max sat back, taking all this in. "Now don't you go cryin' on me," Alec said, lightening the tone a little, "'cause he said I have to take care of you!"

Max managed a small laugh then, despite how rough she was feeling inside. "Thanks Alec," she said again, "I know I should have told you the truth earlier - I'm sorry I let it get this far". She reached forward, letting her hand rest over his, "And I'm sorry if you thought that was the only reason that we were getting along now," she said, guessing that was what had been upsetting him, and smiling in relief as she saw him relax a little. "I'm really glad we're friends now," she said, missing the twinge across his face as she said 'friends', "and that has nothing to do with Logan". 

He managed a smile back, taking her hand in his and rubbing his thumb against her palm. That's when he saw the runes. They were back at TC in less than half an hour, using the video link they had set up to show Logan the runes. "Maybe they're a message," Logan suggested eventually. "From who?" Max asked. "Father," Joshua offered, speaking up from behind them. "He could be right," Logan said, "maybe Sandeman coded them into you like your barcode". "Are there any more?" Logan asked, looking down for a second as he wrote something down.

"Yeah, there's a few across my collar bone," Max said, pulling her collar down on one side and then the other so Logan could capture the images off the vid link to study later. Max looked to Alec then, gesturing for him to carry on the scene they had worked out earlier. "Don't forget the ones on your stomach," he said, which drew Logan's attention of course. He looked up again as Max lifted her shirt fairly high up to reveal some more runes.

He typed a few keys on the keyboard then, capturing those too, trying not to think about how Alec had seen them. "Any more?" Logan asked, not looking up at the screen as he spoke. "Don't think so," Max said, again turning to Alec, who helpfully played along. "Nope - that's it," he said, "I don't remember any more". "Alright," Logan said, moving in to swiftly cut off their conversation, "I'll get to work on these - call me if you find any more". 

He clicked off then, not able to look at the two of them anymore at the moment. Max breathed a quiet sigh as the feed went dead at their end, pulling her shirt back down again and waiting for the others to disperse before she talked to Alec. "Thanks for that," she said, "looks like it worked". "Yeah," Alec agreed, "you okay?" "I will be," was the best Max could manage, touching his arm as she moved past him, going to talk to Joshua.

***

All in all, it had been a fairly heavy few days. It had been the next day when they got Biggs. Alec and Max had got there as soon as possible, but it was already too late. Biggs was already hanging from the bridge, all life gone from him. She hadn't stopped him and Joshua when they had gone out looking for the guys that did it. She didn't know Biggs all that well, but if it had been someone she had known, she would have been out there doing exactly the same thing.

They weren't out long anyway. They came back, Alec nursing the beginnings of a black eye. Max frowned a little at that, as he came over to talk to her. "I take it you found them," Max said, going off for a second to find something to clean up his eye - there was a small cut just below his right eye that she wanted to clean up. "Yeah," Alec said as she returned, "I stopped it before it got too serious, but they should think twice before attacking any transgenics again".

Max nodded, knowing how upset he actually was. "I'm really sorry about Biggs," she said quietly. Alec just nodded, not really feeling like talking yet. "So what happened here?" Max said as she dabbed at the cut, devoting more attention than was probably necessary really. X5s healed fast. The cut needed cleaning but after that, it'd be fine. He wouldn't even have a bruise the next morning. Alec wondered a little at her attention to him, but he wasn't going to stop her.

"Lucky hit," Alec said in answer to her question, "he just swung at me when I wasn't paying attention". "Well you should be fine," Max said, finishing up and sitting down next to him. "Wow, long couple days, huh?" Alec said, a slight smile on his face. "Guess so!" Max said, unconsciously leaning back against him as he rested one arm round her shoulders. "Yeah well, it's gotta get better eventually, right?" he said. "I hope so,", Max said, not even attempting to move. Joshua wandered by below them, he had been planning to talk to Max, but he wouldn't disturb her now for the world.  


__

Hmm…so, one more flashback to go and then we're into the main story, just got to re-write 'Freak Nation' first - guess you know my feelings about that episode by now! *SS*


	5. five

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

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Disclaimer: is it even worth writing these things anymore? Probably not, but you all know nothing DA related belongs to me right? Would it be cancelled if that wasn't true?!

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Rating: PG-13 **/ **R. I have issues with ratings - basically I go more on a general atmosphere than anything else, and I think this isn't too kid-friendly!

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Summary: Set somewhere during a now hypothetical third season. After the situation at Jam Pony, as the siege at TC continues, Max has just started to get her life back in order, when an old enemy resurfaces to wreak havoc on her life again. And guess what? It's another M/A - completely unapologetically, self-indulgently M/A! I don't care what the writers on the show thought, they are still my favourite couple!

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Author's note: Flashback #7finally up! Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up but I just got back to uni after Christmas and haven't had much time to myself. Not that I imagine you wanted to know that but anyway! This chapter is the final flashback - my re-working of 'Freak Nation'. Oh yeah, and just to say there's yet another version of the 'photographing Max's runes' scene here, and I know I've already done that in other stories, but to be fair, this was the first version of that scene I wrote. Think that's enough of my babble so hope ya like it! 

*SS*

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

A freak odyssey

By Sinful Starlet

Flashback #7 - 'Freak Nation'

Max was more than a little apprehensive about going to see Logan that afternoon - Alec had volunteered to go instead, but Max got the impression that wouldn't have worked too well. She steeled herself, telling herself she was making too much out of this and just walked round to the back door, letting herself in. She could see lights on in the living room so she knew he was home, but she was a little taken aback when she finally walked into the room and saw how different it looked.

Joshua's painting supplies and canvases were all gone, even though Max knew that Joshua himself hadn't come back to take them all yet, and the place was starting to resemble Logan's apartment more and more as he was completely surrounded by computer equipment. "Hey," she called, not sure at first whether he had even seen her. He actually hadn't but he called back a slightly awkward hello when he realised she was there. 

She walked round to the desk but he was already standing up to greet her. "How've you been?" he asked. "Okay I guess," she replied, managing a smile, but still not crazy about being there. She cast her eyes down to the desk for a second and recognised a few symbols. "Oh I'm still working on those runes," Logan said, "trying to get a translation together". Max nodded, seeing the capture on the computer screen of her arm as she had held it up to the camera for him to see. 

"Well I got a little more for you to go on," she said, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a stack of about twenty polaroids. "These just appeared last night I guess but they seemed to be fading fast so we got some pictures done before they faded completely". "'We'?" Logan asked, but he already knew the answer really, "You said 'we' took the pictures". "Oh," Max said, letting her eyes drop so she didn't have to look at him as she said, "I meant Alec, he uh...he found them". 'Perfect' Logan thought, 'why exactly did I just ask her that?'

He scanned through the photos, looking at the various groupings of the symbols. "So where were they?" he asked, more to break the awkward silence than anything else. "My back", Max said, "there should be a picture in there of the whole pattern". Logan kept leafing through and eventually found the shot she had been talking about. Max's shirt had been pushed off her shoulders and unzipped down to the small of her back. Other than the symbol groupings her back was completely bare. He tensed as he realised exactly what position Max and Alec must have been in for him to have seen them. 

Max noticed of course, realising what he must be thinking and not bothering to correct him. "Well there seem to be a lot of new symbols here," Logan said, turning their attention back to work, "there might be enough to complete the alphabet but I'll have a look, see what I can find anyway". "Thanks Logan," Max said, already starting to walk out, "I really appreciate this". She had to leave then, Logan's accusing eyes were a little too much, and he hadn't even been right in the first place. The situation with her and Alec had been a little more...intimate than they were used to, but it wasn't what Logan thought at all.....

She had gone over to see OC that night, realising that she was going to have to move into Terminal City for safety's sake - Cindy's as well as her own. She hadn't planned on staying, but Cindy had insisted they had one last night in as a goodbye thing before Max left. She couldn't exactly say no to that, so she had stayed the night and packed her stuff to leave the next morning. She called Alec to help her with her stuff, asking him to bring a car. He made some crack about girls always packing too much, but he said he'd be there.

He was just a little early. When he got there Max was still in the shower, but OC was on her way to work. She let him into the apartment, figuring there couldn't be too much of a problem with Alec waiting for Max there. He might as well be there as sitting on the doorstep anyway. OC hugged Alec tightly as she left, knowing she wouldn't be seeing either Max or Alec so often anymore. "You take care okay?" she said, still holding him tightly. "Always do!" Alec said, flashing her his best smile. 

"And you best take care o' my boo!" Cindy said, making her face more serious as she said that. "Trying!" Alec replied, joking a little. OC hugged him one last time and then set off for work, leaving him to wait for Max. He sat down on the sofa and flicked through a few channels on the TV, but then he heard the bathroom door open. Max knew OC would have left for work by then, but she hadn't figured on Alec getting there so early.

Both of their faces were a picture of surprise and a little embarrassment. Max had walked out of the bathroom still towel drying her hair with nothing but another bath towel covering the rest of her. "Um hi!" Alec said awkwardly, "Guess I'm early!" "Apparently!" Max said, smiling despite herself, she wasn't sure who was more embarrassed. "Who'd have thought that'd happen?!" "Hey!" he said, protesting a little, but smiling too.

"I'm about ready", Max said, "You're not in a hurry are you?" "Nah," Alec said, "take your time - gimme a TV and some snack food and I'll wait all morning if you like!" She laughed a little and threw him a bag of chips that was sitting on the kitchen counter. She started to walk back towards her room when he stopped her, calling her back. "What?" she asked, but he just motioned for her to turn round. She was a little suspicious but she did so.

She wondered what was going on, then got a little more concerned as she felt his fingers parting her hair and touching the top of her towel. "Hey!" she said, "You mind telling me what you're doing?" Alec thought for a second and he couldn't resist making the obvious joke, "Well if you have to ask, I'm obviously not doing it right!" "Alec--" she started, about ready to walk away from him, but he stopped her again. "You've got some more of those symbols on your back," he explained, tracing her skin with his thumbs, "they start out by your shoulder blades but obviously I can't see how far they go down".

"They don't look too new though," he went on, "they look like they're already fading". He stood back then, letting her turn to face him. "So what do you wanna do?" he asked, not sure whether he should ask, but doing it anyway, "You want me to drive you over to Logan?" "No", Max said firmly, "I can't go over there like this". "Well I wasn't suggesting you go without a change of clothes!" Alec interrupted, "But I see what you mean". He looked up at her, but she still clearly didn't know what to do.

"Tell you what," he said, "wait right here - finish drying and put some clothes on or something and I'll be back in a minute". Max looked at him inquisitively, but he was practically already out the door, she nodded in agreement and he left then, leaving her to shake her head - oh no, her life wasn't too weird. Alec got back about fifteen minutes later, letting himself back into the apartment and looking around for her. Max called to him that she was in the bedroom and for him to come in. He paused for a second, a little apprehensive, but walked forward, opening the door to find her inside. 

She had dried off her hair and was just finishing brushing it out. She'd also dressed, wearing a black cat suit that she used when she was riding her ninja. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to announce his plan. "Oh," he said, eventually getting the hint. He reached inside the bag he had with him and pulled out a Polaroid camera. Max nodded, "Good idea". She started to walk over to him, but stopped when he started to talk again.

"Uh, so how do you wanna do this?" Alec said, still feeling more than a little awkward, "I mean this isn't exactly a move-your-collar or raise-your-shirt kind of situation," he said, recalling that day in TC. "I can call Cindy or something if you'd rather--". "It's okay Alec," Max said, smiling at him and sitting down on the bed in front of him, pulling her hair over one shoulder. "I trust you," she said. It was lucky she had turned round actually, because she missed the gaping, fish-like expression Alec was pulling. 

She may have had the top half of the suit on, but it was mostly unzipped at the back, displaying plenty of skin and the black strap of her bra across the centre. "Of course if you tell Sketchy about this I will have to kick your ass!", she joked, trying to make both of them feel a little less uncomfortable. "Fair enough!" Alec said, laughing a little. He gently edged her forward a little so he had room to sit down on the bed too and then gently eased her top back so he could see what he was dealing with. Unfortunately they went a little lower and wider than Max had thought so he had to unzip the suit even further, stopping at the small of her back and easing the sleeves off her shoulders.

That seemed to be about all of them, he thought, but he had to suppress a moan as he started his next job. Her bra straps were unfortunately right in the way of two sets of runes so he had to undo the central clasp and lift those off her shoulders too. This done, Max crossed her arms against her chest to hold the rest of her top up and he reached for the camera. "I guess there's not much point in asking you to smile!" he said as he started to take the pictures. Max did laugh a little, but she was just as awkward as he was really. She was having mixed feelings for Alec already and that was before she was sitting semi-naked in front of him on her bed, with his hands running all over her back. 

She shivered slightly under his touch as his hands moved lower. "Sorry, he said, "you really sure you don't want me to call Cindy?!" "It's fine," Max lied, gritting her teeth to stop a sigh escaping, "it's just your hands are a little cold!" She wished that that was all it was, but she couldn't quite suppress the memory of White ripping her shirt back so he could take a look at some of her earlier runes. "Oh!" he replied, taking his hands away for a second and rubbing them together. When he touched her again, she didn't shiver so much and he carried on taking the pictures.

"I think they stop here," he said as he practically reached the zip at the small of her back, "I don't suppose you want me to check your ass - y'know, just in case!" Max felt her cheeks flush a little, but she recovered quickly, "Sorry to disappoint you but I already did that," she said, adding, "mirror in the bathroom," as an explanation. She laughed as he swore under his breath, but she knew he wasn't serious either. "Thanks for doing this Alec," she said as he worked, "I just couldn't face asking Logan to do it right now". 

"No worries," Alec said, forcing himself to sound casual, "maybe you can repay the favour sometime!" "What?" Max laughed. "Well I could get Joshua to draw some funny faces on my back and then you could get me semi-naked and photograph them for me!" Max's shoulders shook a little as she laughed now, but it had worked, they both felt a little more relaxed now. It only took him about another minute after that to finish up. He put the camera back down on the bed next to the stack of pictures and gently lifted her bra straps back onto her shoulders, fastening the clasp in the middle.

His fingers fumbled slightly with the clasp and he coughed, slightly embarrassed, "Y'know these things are a lot harder to put on than take off!" he said before zipping her top back up again. "Not exactly convincing me of your gentlemanly character!" Max said, instantly regretting it as her cheeks flushed again. She managed to calm herself down though, turning round and practically colliding with him in the process - she hadn't realised that he'd been sitting so close to her. "Well I uh...I do have a reputation to uphold!" Alec said eventually, but his voice sounded a little strange to her as he spoke. 

The fact that she had dropped her eye level making it seem like she was staring intently at his lips really wasn't helping his concentration. She stood up then, breaking whatever moment there had been between them and taking the stack of pictures off the bed, flicking through them as she did. "I can take those over to him for you if you like," Alec offered, also standing. Max thought seriously about that for a second, but decided that it probably wouldn't help whatever remained of her relationship with Logan if she sent Alec over with the photos now. 

"It's okay," she said, "it's probably better if I go". Alec nodded, he already understood why. "I'll drop you off," he said, picking up one of the boxes off the floor that he had come to help her move in the first place. "Thanks Alec," she said, again, picking up her jacket from the bed and reaching up to kiss him lightly on the cheek. He practically dropped the box then, though luckily she was already out of the room and calling for him to catch her up. And he had thought this was going to be a dull morning.

***

Max was getting more and more tense as the siege at Jam Pony progressed. They had waited for the cops to get back to them about transport, but then White had hi-jacked the move, getting Cece killed in the process. They were just waiting now, trying to figure out what to do - and everyone seemed to be looking to her. Her thoughts drifted to Alec for a second. 

She had patched up his shoulder and he had gone off on watch now, luckily the bullet hadn't gone too deep, but it was still a problem. She had been fairly concerned as well when she arrived and saw the blood on his shirt, but he had waved off her worry, telling her with a smile that he was "always alright!" And then there was Logan. She looked up in time to see him getting into a fight with Mole, which she had to go and break up before it got too serious.

Logan had been trying to exert a little authority and that hadn't gone down too well with Mole. She managed to break up the fight taking Logan aside afterwards. "I know you're only trying to help," she said, trying to be as kind as possible, "but he's not gonna take orders from you - none of us are". He opened his mouth to interrupt then, but she stopped him. "We're all from Manticore," she said, "you're not. We're used to taking orders from each other, but not from outsiders". "Look, Max I--" Logan started, but he stopped as he saw Alec come down the stairs.

Max turned round when Logan stopped talking, realising who he had seen. "Come back later?" Alec asked as he had been going to make a report to Max. Max looked back at Logan, but then said, "No it's okay. I'd like to go over a few things with you if that's okay". "You were a C.O. right?" she said, not seeing the look of disbelief on Logan's face. 'He was a C.O.?!', Logan thought, 'how the hell did that happen?!' "I figure you're probably a lot better at dealing with these situations than I am," Max said, "You got ten years training on me for a start!" Alec nodded, waiting for her to go with him. 

"Are we done?" Max said, at last turning back to Logan. He wanted to say no - to try and have some kind of conversation with Max about what was happening, but he could see that he was completely out of it now. "Guess so" he said, walking away to talk to OC and Gem. Max hesitated, feeling bad for a minute, but she had to ignore her personal feelings right now and get back to concentrating on the situation in hand, so she turned away, following Alec.

***

The fight after that had been fairly brutal. The breeding cult soldiers were surprisingly strong and they had trouble taking them down, but they managed it in the end. One of the female soldiers managed to pin Alec to the ground, spotting the blood stain on his shirt, she aimed a savage blow at his shoulder, knocking a lot of strength from him. Logan saw this going on, and knew he had to help him, however much he wished he didn't have to. 

He distracted the soldier, aiming a kick at her, which because of the exo-skeleton knocked her halfway across the room. The fight was over pretty soon after that, all of them walking back into the main room, Max smiling at Alec as she saw he was okay. Then they found Joshua and White. Max pleaded with Joshua to let him go, but it was Alec that ultimately convinced him, pressing his foot into White's chest as Max delivered her last little message. Logan just stood, watching the scene playing out in front of him, trying to ignore Mole's comment about Max and Alec making 'quite the team!'.

It was Alec that had come up with the idea of using the soldier's uniforms to get out too. Max took OC to the side while the two of them changed, out of sight of the guys, but making sure, more importantly, that they were out of _her _sight. That would have been just a little too awkward, she thought. Both Logan and Alec stripping down to their t-shirts and underwear while they put the soldiers uniforms on - where the hell was she supposed to look? Or rather, _who_ the hell was she supposed to look at? That was the real problem of course, but naturally, she didn't want to focus on _that _right now. 

Nobody said anything else until they were in the vans and safely driving away. She shot a smile to Alec as they were safely driving away, seeing him trying to valiantly hide the pain from his shoulder. "Y'know just for the record," Logan said, not able to resist one last jibe, pissed off as he was, "that chick was kicking your ass!" Alec was a little pissed off by that, but managed not to show it. "I had it," he breezed, "I was just...setting her up". "Yeah!" Logan said, all sarcasm.

"Oh for the love of--!" Max cursed under her breath, "Logan he'd just been shot! He didn't have to fight at all, but he did!" Everyone went quiet in the van then - Logan angry, Alec even more confused than he was before, Joshua also confused and Mole just slightly amused by the mess these three were in. Thankfully the moment was interrupted as Sketchy called through to them on the radio about where they were going, providing Max with a welcome distraction. She could see that she was going to have some questions to answer when she got back to TC though.

Right, final flashback out of the way now - hope ya liked the alternate 'Freak Nation' - quite different from the ep, huh? Hee hee! I'll try and update soon, but not sure how soon that'll be! *SS*


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